Pokemon Conquest: Tales of Ransei
by aldendraco
Summary: A collection of one-shot and two-shots, exploring the lives of the Warriors and Pokemon of Ransei. Themes ranging from lighthearted sillies to angsty backstories. Rated T to be safe. [Summary pending, will likely change in the future].
1. Chapter 1

**Here I am with the one-shot I promised last time. I still haven't had much time to work on WotH (plus I've forgotten to download the plans for it from google docs last time I could catch some free wifi in the city, so I... couldn't work on it safely without forgetting an important detail or something). But I will start working on it tomorrow, and it should be ready in the middle of next week or so.**

 **Anyway this story is a series of background one-shots that revolve around the backstories -well, mostly- of the characters. Many are important for WotH as lore for the characters, while others are lighthearted and random. Basically it's, as the title suggests, various stories from all around Ransei.**

 **This one revolves around the Shinigami, lore for which will be written extensively on the Anthology story at some point. It's also important for another character's backstory... let's see if you can guess!**

 **(As a note, this is a little rushed, so there might be mistakes. I also wanted to include more 'Shinigami incidents', but it would have turned into a whole separate story. So for now, it will stay like that).**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Spirited Away**

Illusio had always had a reputation of being a hotspot for spirits of all kinds to roam. Although it never even came close to Spectra's plethora of otherwordly beings, the people spoke that it was never safe for anyone, no matter how strong or how experiened a warrior, to roam alone the streets at night...

And so, it was only natural that the figure of a lone, young woman roaming the shadiest part of the city's slums would attract more attention than what anyone would have liked.

That is, if they would have been able to see her.

The girl walked slowly through the muddy, narrow streets of Illusio's darkest neighborhoods. No one would visit that part of the city without having a specific business in mind, business that more often than not involved cheap alcohol, equally cheap pleasures and not at all cheap substances that, to her knowledge, had been banned throughout all of Ransei decades ago. No wonder the dealers would chose such places to sell their... _merchandise_.

Yet she was there for none of these.

It was peculiar, she mused, that a kingdom as rich and well-developed as Illusio would house such neighborhoods. Most of Ransei's economy ran through the Kingdom of Crystals, as well as Terrera, seeing the two were situated right in the middle of the region -a truly advantageous spot that many Warlords envied and had tried to conquer throughout the ages, to no success.

How could Illusio's people be stricken by such poverty? It was only a tiny amount of the population that lived in this place, yet she knew Lord Tamekage to be a just Warlord, caring for his people. Had he never even tried to care for the poor souls that were forced to live in the slums?

But she hadn't descended to the Realm of the Living to question the laws of the humans. She was no Warlord, she had never aspired to be one, and her duties revolved around the management of souls rather than that of money. She glanced down to her loyal partner, a docile-looking Larvesta. He'd never failed her once during her... trips to the mortal world. She knew tonight would be no exception.

Yes, even Shinigami forged deep, unbreakable bonds with Pokemon. The only difference being that, just like them, the Reapers' partners were all spirits. Of course, that wasn't really an issue, since their task was not to assist their partners in battles, but in the escorting of departed souls.

The girl's slow, relaxed steps finally came to a halt in front of a measly wooden house, seemingly stuffed between an abandoned stone building the purpose of which she had been unable to guess, and a cluster of smooth, pointed crystals, the likes of which could be found in abundance throughout Illusio. Even for the slums' standards, the house looked pitifully small and unkept.

She supposed she could have entered through the door for added effect, but instead she just slithered through the unsteady-looking wooden walls, finding herself right in the middle of the only room of the house -she'd rather not make unnecessary noices that would probably stir up whatever occupants of the house had not yet slept beyond awakening.

Even with her enhanced vision, she could barely make out a couple of huddled shapes close to the furthest corner of the addmittedly tiny room. She waited for a few seconds, until her eyes adjusted to the suffocating darkness -then, as slowly as she could, she proceeded towards the source of tonight's visit to the Realm of the Living.

The Shinigami knelt down on the wooden floor next to the old, thin mattress. Under the tattered blankets, he could see two figures sleeping, having nestled close to one another -the figure of a lone mother and her daughter. However, only the latter still produced the unmistakable sound of short, steady breaths. The former had fallen completely and irreparably silent.

She didn't really feel all too pleased with herself for having to deprive the young human of the only steady landmark in her miserable life, but the mother's time had come, and it wasn't her duty to dictate who lived and who died. She only executed the escorting of the souls, being in no position to pick by herself. That, she supposed, was Arceus's job.

The young woman slowly peeled the blankets off the mother's fragile, sickly body. Another victim of the merciless winter cold Illusio was so infamous about. A victim none would speak of, besides her daughter, perhaps. A victim none would care to bury.

Pushing back all mortal emotions that could hinder her duties, she dragged a short, obsidian dagger out of her shrine maiden's skirts. It barely caught whatever faint moonlight seeped in from the only window of the house, that had been left slightly ajar, glinting for less than a second before its owner lowered it towards the left part of the mother's chest. She was ready to reach the next step of the ritual when...

"Who are you?"

Something that sounded suspiciously like a mortal's gasp came out of the Shinigami's lips, her hand jolting away as her head snapped upwards. Even in the almost complete darkness, her unblinking eyes caught the stare of the young girl that, up until a few seconds ago, had been blissfully asleep and unaware.

Poor creature, the Shinigami thought to herself, trying to put up a brave scowl, though her icy blue eyes were glimmering with fear, her lips trembling-

Wait.

How was a _human_ able to see her?

"W-Who are you?" The child repeated, before the spirit was able to run every possibility through her mind. "What are you doing with that knife?"

Her voice was so quiet that the Shinigami did not suppose she would have been able to put up any kind of fight, even if she tried. Yet that still didn't answer the question of how on Giratina's forbidden name she was able to _see her._ She'd heard of mortals being able to sense Shinigami before -mortals that usually hailed from one of the old exorcist houses of Ransei. But as the exorcists had begun to distance themselves from these bloodlines, their ability to detect spirits that were not ghosts, demons or yokai had faded away. At least, that was what she'd been told...

Could this girl possess such a rare, unspeakable ability? An ability that was currently compromising her job?

"W-What... what are you doing to my mother?"

The girl's cracking voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she forced herself to concentrate on the matter currently on hand. No matter if the girl could see her or not, she had a soul to take and, unfortunately, that was not something that could be postponed or avoided.

Larvesta's thoughts echoed in her mind all of a sudden, in a scolding tone.

 _'She's a child. You're about to take away her only family.'_

The Shinigami scowled. _'I know that. I'll try to be as gentle with her as I can.'_

Letting out a sigh of resignation, she placed her dagger aside -not that she was going to use it to kill. It was only to be used as a way to form a path for the soul, so that it could exit the body and allow the Shinigami to transport it into the Realm of the Dead, where it would find peace. And obsidian was a metal that seemed to be extremely preferable for that job.

"Shh." She said softly, smiling at the girl in a manner that she hoped was reassuring. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm not here to hurt your mother either."

That was the truth, but she guessed that the girl couldn't tell the different between a Reaping Regalia and an assassin's dagger.

"I-I don't believe you. You're trying to kill my mother!"

Now that was unfair. Her mother was already dead, and all the Shinigami was doing was help her soul find peace. The girl should be thanking her -if she knew, of course...

"I promie that's not the case." Her words were probably contradicting her actions -she had just entered through the walls, and was ready to plunge a dagger into the woman's chest. What were the odds of the girl believing her? "I'm only going to take your mother to a better place. But I need you to lie back down, close your eyes, and be very, _very_ quiet."

 _That_ must have certainly sounded unnerving, because the tears that the girl had been restraining through gritted teeth finally welled up in her eyes.

"Don't take my mother..." She whispered in a pleading, shattered voice that the Shinigami was sure would have pierced her heart if it was still beating. She let out another small sigh, attempting to take the girl's hand, that had been protectively placed upon the older woman's chest when-

 _Guardians above._

The Shinigami's eyes shot wide open, as she finally took in the shape of what she'd previously mistaken for an accidental scar carved upon the back of the girl's hand. Was it...?

It was. There was no doubt that the symbol was indeed what she thought upon the second she lay eyes on it.

What was a girl bearing the Seal of Diancie doing in _the slums of Illusio_ , of all places?!

Lovely. Absolutely perfect. The girl could see her, talk to her, and bore a Guardian's Blessing at the same time. Anything else she should know? Maybe the girl could also grow wings and fly, for Arceu's sake!

Alright, enough was enough. Whatever this was about it was most certainly not her problem. Her job was to take souls, not to pamper unusually gifted teary-eyed children. If it ever came to it, Lord Tamekage or whoever the hell was responsible for such matters in the Realm of the Living could deal with it just fine.

Slowly, the Shinigami brought herself to smile again.

"I'm sorry, little one." She gently lifted her hand, placing it upon the girl's cheek, as if she was about to caress it. "Shh... I promise it won't hurt at all."

The girl's blue eyes widened as they locked onto her own.

Perfect.

The Shinigami's eyes flashed in a golden and red hue, and for a second, she could see her reflection in the girl's own eyes, before their lids drooped closed and, with a weak gasp, the girl collapsed on the mattress, unconscious.

Good. That should keep her until morning. She hadn't harmed the girl in any way, gods no! She'd only rendered her unresponsive so that she could perform the ritual without any additional hinderances.

Slowly, and under her Pokemon's watchful eyes, the spirit gripped her dagger again.

She forced herself to not look away, as she finally plunged it against the older woman's chest, and saw the soft, white light that was her soul slip into the abyssal dark depths of the blade...

* * *

 **It's probably expected of me to kick this off with an angsty-ish tale. Oh well~**

 **As you've propably guessed, the Shinigami is Okuni. I know she sounds very cold and... well, sort of evil and indifferent in this. But she's a spirit, responsible of taking the souls to the afterlife. It's expected of her. But I also want it to signify the development she will be getting later -how she evolved from a practical, duty-bound Shinigami, to No's loyal junior Warlord, and all the likes. But that will have to wait.**

 **Anyway, I don't think I have to add anything else (I probably do -but I'm forgetting it XD). Next update will hopefully be a WotH chapter.**

 **Oh, keep an eye on the excorcist thing by the way. Let's say it's a small hint... :3**

 **'till next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I finally got around writing this one! And I think so far it's my favorite of the ones I have in mind. Though it did end up being so much longer than I thought... Oh, I also got around fixing many mistakes in the previous chapter (and I felt like punching myself seeing how stupid some of those were).**

 **Anyway, to clarify the ages in this one in order to avoid confusion: Ginchiyo is twelve, Muneshige is fourteen, Naotsugu (historically Muneshige's younger brother, so I decided to play with him a little -just like I'm playing with Yoshichi and Sumire for Kanetsugu) is eleven, Aya is twenty-four, Kenshin is twenty-two, Shingen is twenty-seven and Dosetsu is thirty-four.**

 **I also took some liberties with Aya's title 'the dragoness of Illusio'. In SW, she's frequently referred to as the 'goddess of the Uesugi'. But since Kenshin is 'the dragon of the Uesugi', and since I've more often than not related him and Aya to Latios and Latias (who are part Dragon-type), I decided this would be a little more climatic than 'the goddess of Illusio'. Anyway!**

 **Oh, one more thing: despite both Aya and Shingen being away from their kingdom, they can summon magic by using catalysts (Aya's staff, Shingen's warfan). Of course they're not as strong as they'd be in case they were near their kingdom's Cores/Power Veins. Also, all warriors, even if they aren't sorcerers, have certain types of magic they can use -usually it's one or, at most, two kinds of elemental magic (ex. Fire, Wind).**

 **Anyway, I should stop making my A/Ns so hecking long. So... enjoy the story! :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Thunder & Ice**

During the final days of Ransei's yearly Grand Tournament, Pugilis' fighting arena was bustling with all kinds of noises -cheers, Pokemon and human cries, tradesmen grabbing the chance of the great event to advertise and sell their merchandise and, occasionally, the squabbling that indicated a fight having broken out between the onlookers.

Ginchiyo supposed that all of it was normal -especially the latter, considering the Grand Tournament was essentially a gathering of every kingdom's warriors and Pokemon. And with the war and general desire for conquest raging on across the land, enmity between the residents of different kingdoms wasn't all that unexpected. And thanks to them, Ginchiyo's ears had already picked up a few interesting pieces of information.

So Lord Shingen of Terrera had made yet another move against Illusio, but the latter held strong. Up in the far North, Lord Ieyasu seemed to be raising an army -for defense or for the purpose of attacking the currently weakened and warlord-less kingdom of Spectra, that could only fall under individual guesswork. With Lord Terumune of Avia currently preoccupied thanks to hostile signs from Viperia, Ieyasu could be planning to attack the Kingdom of the Skies as well. And with Aurora's current Warlord falling all the more ill with every passing day, Lords Motochika and Motonari were becoming an increasing threat in the Southern part of Ransei.

Ginchiyo glanced up at her father, and his expression, the glint in his one remaining eye, assured her that he'd picked up all of the rumours as well. However, she knew that only one thing concerned her father far enough to resort to listening to such stories -Lord Yoshihiro's ambition of invading Violight. The hostility between the two kingdoms was not news to anyone, yet with the Tournament taking place in Yoshihiro's own kingdom, the Devil of Pugilis could make no move or statement without causing too much unwanted tension. Ginchiyo supposed this was the only good thing that came out of a dishonorable kingdom such as Pugilis hosting the event.

Her thoughts and calculations on the matter were interrupted by Muneshige, next to her, shoving his elbow on her ribs. The movement wasn't nearly strong enough to hurt her, but she grunted and elbowed him back with much greater force than he had. The yelp that came out of Muneshige's mouth was one of genuine pain, and he looked at her with a betrayed expression on his face.

"I was just playing!" He muttered, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Ginchiyo rolled her eyes.

"When you hit a daughter of Violight, expect to be returned twice the punch."

Muneshige rolled his eyes, rubbing his still-sore ribs. "I wanted to take your attention away from strategies and war plans and all that for a moment. You're twelve. Act like it."

"I am going to be Warlord of Violight one day." Ginchiyo puffed up her chest, raising her voice a little. "I cannot afford to act like a child."

Muneshige raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm fourteen, which means I'm even older than you are. And according to Lord Dosetsu, we're going to be Warlords together. So if I can afford to have some fun, I am sure you can as well."

Ginchiyo huffed, looking away. "I'd rather be flayed by the enemy commander than have someone like you rule alongside me."

"Now that's unnecessarily mean."

"Nothing it _mean enough_ when it comes to you-"

"Can you two shut your yapping mouths for a few seconds?" Came the protesting voice of Muneshige's younger brother, Naotsugu. Despite he was one year younger than Ginchiyo, he was tall enough to be on the same level as her, and now his dark blue eyes scanned both her and his older brother disapprovingly.

Dosetsu, catching the rising tension between the three children, graced them with a quick glance.

"You three should hold your Zebstrika." He muttered, shaking his head. "We're here to watch the competitors fight -not argue amongst ourselves. What would the warriors of Pugilis say if they see my heir and adopted sons arguing like a flock of squabbling Murkrow?"

Naotsugu's Pokemon -a Murkrow- cawed curiously at the sound of her name, before flapping up from the ground and perching atop her partner's head. Naotsugu sighed, and Ginchiyo's Shinx as well as Muneshige's Starly let out humoured sounds.

Ginchiyo sighed, bowing her head slightly.

"Forgive my immature behaviour, Father." She murmured, but Dosetsu's hand on her shoulder made her raise her eyes just a little.

"My daughter, children will be children." His thin lips curved upwards, and the scar at his cheek seemed to move as he smiled. "You, Muneshige and Naotsugu have a hard life ahead of you. You should enjoy yourselves as much as you can, before the time comes when you will actually have to act like proper warriors."

Ginchiyo nibbled on her lower lip, but nodded.

"Yes, Father..."

She leaned across the iron railing that surrounded the lowest part of the arena's seating rows. Her father would not be competing this year, having sustained a shoulder injury during one of Violight's most recent squabbles with Chrysalia, his right arm still hanging by a sling. However, as one of Ransei's most esteemed Warlords, he was expected to attend and, for the first time, he had decided to take her and his adopted sons with him. Ginchiyo initially believed she would rather stay home and train with Shinx . But when they'd entered the arena, the beckoning of the oncoming competition started echoing inside of her, coursing through her veins. She could hardly contain her excitement -something Muneshige wasn't letting her forget at all, being a nuisance as usual.

 _'Some of Ransei's greatest warriors will be fighting here. I'll be able to watch them with my own two eyes.'_

The thought made her heart beat excitedly, and her eyes widened with expectation -one of the few times she'd let the child inside of her take control. With the battle about to start, she couldn't bother worrying about it.

The massive crowd started quieting down little by little, as Lord Yoshihiro himself in all his glory strode towards the middle of the stadium, kicking up a small cloud of sand as he walked. With the sun hidden between thick rainclouds -that would certainly not put a stop to the event, as had been proven countless of times in the past- his shadow was barely visible against the ground, yet that did not take away any of his imposingly large stature. Ginchiyo bit back a sting of hatred as she took him in -and by the way Dosetsu's rugged face tensed, she could say he felt the same.

The Lord lifted his giant hand, and every last bit of noise from the crowd dying out immediately.

"Venerable Warriors, Warlords, and Pokemon," Yoshihiro started, his voice booming throughout the whole stadium much alike Violight's constant thunders "I welcome you all to the semi-final round of this year's Tournament. It has been, and still is, an honour for me to be the host of an event that brings together all of us, blurring the borders of our kingdoms, even if it is only for a couple of weeks each year. However, I will not waste your time with meaningless speeches. We're all here to watch a battle -and this is what we're gonna do. With no further delay, I will now present you two of the four remaining contestants that will be battling today. Four Warriors, two battles. The victors of each duel will face each other tomorrow, during the grand final round of Ransei's Tournament!"

Yoshihiro paused, yet none of the spectators dared breathe as he took a few steps backwards, gesturing to the two Warlords that had come to stand behind him as he spoke -a man and a woman, with a Rhyperior and a Froslass respectively waiting by their sides.

The Devil of Pugilis lifted his right arm, gesturing to the masked man, "On my right, please welcome Lord Shingen, the King of the Desert, Warlord of Terrera!"

Even Ginchiyo flinched at the sudden wave of noise that exploded through the arena at the sound of Lord Shingen's name, every warrior and Pokemon breaking into loud cheers and clapping -that too, however, died down soon enough as Yoshihiro raised his left hand, to introduce the second contestant.

"And on my left, please welcome his opponent; Lady Aya, the Dragoness of Illusio, one of her kingdom's sibling Warlords!"

Applausing and cheers rippled through the crowd again, though Ginchiyo was surprised to notice them being considerably milder than what Shingen had received. She frowned -she'd heard of Lady Aya only once before, and while her knowledge about Lord Shingen wasn't far greater, she struggled to believe the Illusian would have any chances against such a fearsome opponent.

Next to her, Muneshige whistled softly, catching her attention.

"Would you look at that. She truly must be as powerful as the stories paint her, if she's managed to get up to the semi-finals." The boy muttered, causing Ginchiyo to raise an eyebrow.

"You've heard of her?" She asked, hesitant to admit that her knowledge on the matter was limited.

"Who hasn't?" Muneshige replied, causing her to frown again -was she the only one that knew nothing of the Lady in question and her achievements? "She's Lord Kenshin's bastard sister."

Ginchiyo heard Dosetsu grumble at Muneshige's remark.

"Mind your tongue, son." He scolded him. "She's one of Ransei's most fearsome sorcerers and has been doing battle for more years than you've been able to walk and speak."

Muneshige shrugged. "Doesn't change the fact that her mother wasn't Lord Tamekage's wife."

"You know, brother" Naotsugu joined the conversation in a seemingly bored manner "I hear Lord Kenshin is extremely protective of his sister, just as she's of him. If anybody from Illusio hears you and Lord Kenshin decides to start a war with Violight, I'll be blaming you."

"You do need to work on your sense of humour, Naotsugu."

Ginchiyo ignored the brothers' exchange of verbal projectile, and returned her attention back to the contestants. As the two Warlords moved to take their position in their respective sides of the battlefield, she was able to study them better.

Lord Shingen looked truly fearsome, his red mask covering most of his face, its horned appendixes and white mane granting him the appearance of an actual devil. He was dressed in red and black and gold, Terrera's national colours, his gloved hand clutching the handle of a massive iron warfan, painted with Terrera's official symbol -Groudon's head with the symbols for 'Wind, Earth, Fire' etched around it. His female Rhyperior, almost twice his size, positioned herself in front of him and bared its fangs, ready to crush her opponent.

Lady Aya, to Ginchiyo's surprise, looked equally intimidating despite completely lacking Shingen's massive bulk. Yet she walked with an air of control and determination, dressed in a white kimono with a golden sash tied around her waist, while the white-and-silver cape that flapped behind her was adorned with Illusio's emblem, the silhouettes of Latios and Latias, embroidered with golden thread across the white fabric. Her weapon was a bladed staff, painted gold and white, and her Froslass was hovering in front of her, her unblinking golden eyes fixed on Rhyperior, unnervingly calm.

The type matchup could prove destructive for both opponents, Ginchiyo mused. Froslass's Ice held the upper hand against Rhyperior's Ground -but the latter's Rock would be a massive obstacle for the former. And Froslass's Ghost would be of no good against a behemoth such as Rhyperior.

"This is going to be fun!" Muneshige fistbumped the air, as the rest of the crowd had begun cheering again. "Who're you gonna bet on, Ginchiyo?"

Ginchiyo thought about it for a few seconds, eyes lingering on the Warlords -both of which seemed ready to crush each other. Ginchiyo caught Aya looking towards the back of the stadium, eyes fixed on a tall, white-haired man -Lord Kenshin, it had to be. Both nodded at each other, then Aya turned her back at him, locking eyes with Shingen once more.

"Statistically speaking", Naotsugu stated "both of them are equally qualified to win. Lord Shingen's physical strength could be a huge drawback for Lady Aya. But she's a sorcerer, which mean she doesn't need to get near him to land a hit. As for their Pokemon, each can be proved a fearsome opponent for the other -but I'd say Rhyperior has the advantage here. Landing a single Rock Wrecker on Froslass would mean instant victory, but Froslass will have to land at least a couple of Blizzards on her in order to win."

Too much math, too many calculations. Naotsugu could be her best strategist in the future, but for now he was plainly confusing her. She tuned to look at Muneshige.

"I place my bet on Lady Aya."

Muneshige grinned. "I'm gonna go for Lord Shingen, I think. What are we betting on?"

"If Lord Shingen wins, I'll do your homework for the week. If Lady Aya wins, you'll do mine."

Hearing the two agree on it, Dosetsu cast them a wary look -did none of them even consider he was able to hear them loud and clear? Well, he'd certainly have a word with their tutors once the Tournament was over. Regardless, he figured this could wait, and turned to look at the start of the duel.

Yoshihiro had just lowered his hand, which was the signal for the opponents to make a move towards each other. Yet none of them budged an inch. They only stood completely still, both them and their Pokemon staring at each other.

Aya was the first one to break under the pressure -or so it seemed. She flicked her wrist at the side, and Froslass dissipated into nothingness, as she herself bolted from her place towards Shingen, summoning a sphere of light with her staff. Shingen signaled to Rhyperior to watch her surroundings, while he lifted his fan, ready to block the oncoming hit.

From then on, it was plain pandemonium. Ginchiyo struggled to keep up with everything that was going on at the same time -Froslass would slip in and out of sight thanks to the advantage granted to her by being part Ghost-type, and Aya used her illusion techniques to make her self invisible for short periods of time. It was not enough for her to approach Shingen undetected, but it was doing a decent job on confusing him, not allowing him to land a certain strike.

Shingen finally moved, lunging for Aya -who had just reappeared closer to him, and was lifting up her staff in a defensive manner. Shingen's fan became envelopped in red flames, as he moved to strike down on Aya's staff. However, she just skidded to the side, already raising her hand and summoning an ice wall to defend herself. Meanwhile, Rhyperior had landed the first successful blow on Froslass -a clawed punch that sent the smaller Pokemon rolling across the sand.

That distracted Aya, who instinctively turned her head towards her partner, long enough for Shingen to break through her defenses and slam his knee against her stomach, knocking her breath out of her and sending her fall next to Froslass.

Involuntarily, Ginchiyo held her breath, and so did Naotsugu and Muneshige next to her -that blow could have been enough to knock unconscious a man of Shingen's stature.

Yet less than a couple of seconds later, Aya managed to get back on her feet, and Froslass rose next to her. The female Warlord chuckled, saying something to Shingen, who threw back his head with good-hearted, roaring laughter and drew back to his line, preparing himself. Ginchiyo had never heard of warriors holding such merry exchanges in the middle of a fight, and she raised her eyebrows curiously, waiting to see the rest.

From then on, Aya and Froslass were one united whirlwind of ice and light, mercilessly taking advantage of Shingen's and Rhyperior's lack of speed and agility.

That did not mean the Terreran team did not get to land any more strikes -countless of times Aya found Shingen's warfan colliding with her head, just as she was jabbing him with her staff, and Froslass was hit once by Rhyperior's Stone Edge, and multiple times by her punches and swipes of her tail. Yet they got up again and again, still standing after every strike, and Ginchiyo found her eyes glues on the Illusian team, her heart beating as she followed each and every one of Aya's movements, watching as the woman evaded a punch from Shingen that could have easily shattered her ribs, and as she countered with a well-calculated swipe of her bladed staff, tearing through Shingen's armor and drawing a few droplets of crimson blood.

The duel lasted about an hour and a half -with the time limit set on two hours, both Aya and Shingen started trying their best to put an end to it. Should the time limit pass with no victor having emerged from the duel, both would get automatically disqualified.

Aya drew a few steps back, Froslass hovering behind her. Blood was running down the woman's forehead, trickling into her left eye and obscuring her vision, her chest rising and falling with heavy, tired breaths, while Froslass floated unsteadily, as if she was being sleepy.

Shingen and his partner were in no better shape to speak off, the man's mask having fallen down and his black hair, already lined with streaks of grey despite he wasn't even thirty, fell onto his shoulders as a gash on his forehead bled down on his face. Rhyperior was panting, huffing with every breath and having fallen on all four limbs to keep steady. Yet her tail still flickered across the sand, and Froslass was still chilling the air around her.

This would be their final move.

This time it was Shingen who broke the staring contest first, bolting towards his opponent as Rhyperior roared a challenge to Froslass, who immediately answered. Aya gave it the cue for Blizzard, while she lifted her staff to meet Shingen's fan.

Metal against metal, light against fire, ice against stone. A gust of sand and dirt blossomed in the middle of the battlefield, as the attacks of both warriors and Pokemon collided, exploding into light and dust. Ginchiyo, as well as most spectators on the first few rows of seats, had to shield her eyes against it, but she opened them again as soon as she could, her heart jumping up to her throat, beating so fast and strongly she was under the impression it would tear out of her at any moment.

The dust cleared in a matter of seconds, but to Ginchiyo -and possibly to everyone else- it felt like ages.

Finally, the four opponents became visible again.

Shingen and Rhyperior were on the ground, the latter unconscious and the former groaning. Aya and Froslass, bloodied and covered in dust and sand, were the ones still standing.

The air was almost ablaze, thundering with the cheering and applause that burst out of the crowd, the loudest coming from Illusio's side of the stadium. Lord Kenshin -followed by his Gallade- jumped over the railing, landing directly into the battlefield and running up to meet his sister, who he then pulled into a tight embrace, almost knocking her off her feet in the process -yet she wrapped her arms around his shoulders as well, laughing, while at the same time Gallade nudged Froslass, congratulating her.

Ginchiyo found herself cheering as well, clapping her hands so much that they started burning. Next to her, Naotsugu clapped as well, smiling menacingly at Muneshige, who had already started asking Ginchiyo if their bet had included _all_ of their homework. Ginchiyo grinned at him in an almost feline way -a thundering glare that promised she'd take her sweet time enjoying her free time, while Muneshige would be stuck doing both his and her own homework. But revenge could wait for now -she bumped her fist on his shoulder in an almost playful manner, as they both went on clapping their hands. This time, the crowd could not be quieted even Yoshihiro's prescence, who was congratulating both Aya and Shingen -the latter had been just helped on his feet by the Illusians, and was laughing merrily, patting Aya's shoulder and praising her for the fight, while Froslass and Gallade were trying to get Rhyperior to wake up.

The second duel -Lord Ujiyasu of Cragspur against Lady Chihiro of Nixtorm- was to begin later during the afternoon, and the spectators gradually walked out of the stadium, into the surrounding ins that were accomondating them for the duration of the whole event. Only the Warlords remained, retreating to the camps surrounding the arena -as the official representatives of their kingdoms, they were adviced to remain near the grounds of the event throughout its duration.

Muneshige was already prodding her to go and explore the city with him. She didn't really mind doing so, for once, so she talked Naotsugu into coming as well, and after receiving Dosetsu's permission, they ran off, Muneshige at the lead as they headed for the heart of Pugilis' main city.

Ginchiyo remained a few paces behind, slowing down as she lifted her head up to gaze towards the gray, cloudy sky, her mind still running the battle she had just witnessed over.

She'd never forget the Illusian Warlord -the determination in her eyes, the grace and certainity in her every move, the strength of her and her partner's attacks.

'One day, I will be as strong as her.'

Her eyes lingered at the sky, and she smiled with renewed determination of her own, as a soft raindrop -the first of the storm to come tonight, before the day of the finals- landed on her cheek.

'One day, I will be a Warlord worthy of my Father's kingdom. One day... One day I'll challenge Lady Aya herself into a duel'.

The sky rattled with the sound of distant thuder -assurance of the oncoming storm, as if her kingdom's eternal lightning and thunder strikes had sensed her thoughts, and were sending her their blessings.

'One day, I will challenge her. And when that day comes... I _will_ defeat her.'

* * *

 **And there it is! I had so much fun writing this to be honest! Gin seeing Aya in action while she's young, and immediately deciding 'she's the Warlord I want to be like when I grow up' is one of my favorite headcanons. Though the duel scene was the death of me, I think. I've never put much thought into Shingen's fighting style before, so that was a bit of a challenge. I did have my fun coming up with his and Aya's battle outfits though!**

 **I also enjoyed writing young Gin and young Muneshige. I absolutely love both of them, and I can't wait to write about them more. In a future one-shot regarding Dosetsu dying and Ginchiyo breaking under the pressure, I shall take my sweet time playing with their interactions ;) Naotsugu was also fun -snarky, clever little shit getting too tired of his big brother's antics.**

 **Anyway, I should have another one ready until Friday! Hope you enjoyed this one! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Should I be starting the next WoTH chapter? Yes. Am I writing angsty backstory for the Illusian siblings instead? Also yes.**

 **Anyway, I was between this or some dorky hc one-shot for young Kenshin, Aya, Shingen and Ujiyasu but I will write this one tomorrow because angst always wins.**

 **Firstly though I should explain a few things about Illusian succession that I didn't put in Anthology of Ransei; the Warlords are always siblings. Their spouses are** _ **not**_ **Warlords although they're very high in hierarchy and usually act like second-in-commands or consultants. They're highly respected and revered by the Warlords. Additionally, if both Warlords are married, only one couple will bear children so as to assure there will be another pair of sibling Warlords but no fights for succession between cousins. Of course, there are times during which both Warlords have bore children. There seem to have been no conflicts surrounding these times (although one can never be sure). In addition, should one couple be able to give birth to only one child (usually in case of death, or health problems), the other Warlord and their spouse are expected to bear a child -cousin Warlords are better than just** _ **one**_ **Warlord. For reasons that will be explained in the future, this had not been the case with Kenshin (this will get too long if I go on).**

 **That's pretty much all, although Tamekage having linked with Lugia (a Guardian) will be explained in later one-shots.**

 **That aside, I really enjoyed writing this. I absolutely love exploring Kenshin's and Aya's past and... anyway. I'll let the story speak for itself. (as another sidenote, I did in fact get inspiration for this from RED's Not Alone. A great song tbh).**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Not Alone**

 _Dead_.

The word sounded so foreign. So strange. So... unreal. It couldn't be happening -her mother couldn't be dead. She... She couldn't leave her! She couldn't be gone...!

Aya desperately bit back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes at any moment, as she shook her mother's impossibly still body again; refusing to give up hope, refusing to believe that it was real. That she could do nothing to turn back time, to stop it. To keep her mother's soul from slipping away...

"M-Mother..." the young girl gasped, pulling at the older woman's hand again. It felt so cold, against her own... "Wake up... please...?"

Deep down, she supposed, she knew her mother would no longer hear her; would no longer be able to answer her pleas. She'd known it ever since she woke up a few minutes earlier, breathless from the terrifying dream she'd had...

But now, under the light of the devastating discovery, she doubted it was a dream. It couldn't have been. She couldn't have predicted the future so accurately like that -it must have been real, it must have happened in front of her eyes.

The strange dark-haired woman with the fiery gold-and-crimson eyes, clad in an outfit usually worn by shrine maidens from Northern Ransei, must have surely been there. Though, as to her being human, Aya couldn't be equally certain. She hadn't... _looked_ human, not with the conventional sense of the word. It hadn't been her face, not even her peculiar eyes, but rather a specific, chilling aura that she had radiated; and when she'd touched her...

Aya shuddered, remembering the last glimpse she'd taken of the young woman before the latter's eyes had flashed with an otherwordly golden light, and everything had spun into frozen darkness. She wasn't human, she couldn't have been. She must have been a demon, coming along with her possessed familiar -a Larvesta, as she belatedly recalled- to spirit her mother away. To take her as her victim. Didn't demons like that feast on the souls of unfortunate mortals? Yes, that had to be it. Because...

...Because if that _hadn't_ been the case, there would be only one alternative, and Aya didn't even want to begin thinking about it. If the undesired visitor hadn't been a demon looking for a human soul to prey upon, then the only other explanation would have meant the woman had been a Shinigami, having come to escort her mother's spirit to the Realm of the Dead.

She didn't want to accept that alternative -she was afraid to. Not only because that would mean her mother had already been dead by the time the woman came -and so it wouldn't have been the woman's fault, and Aya would have no one to blame but the cruelty of fate- but also because... because normal humans, like her, weren't supposed to be able to actually _see_ the Shinigami.

Because she _was_ normal, wasn't she? Despite her mother often looking at her with a manner that suggested hidden worry, masked fears for her daughter. And when she'd inquired about the strange scar-like mark on the back of her right hand, her mother had brushed the question away, telling her it was nothing more than a birthmark. And she didn't hand her any other piece of information, even when Aya had dared point out it looked too precise and complicated in shape to be a birthmark.

Whatever the mark was, whatever the previous night's encounter had been, she didn't care. She didn't care about _any_ of these. All she cared about was that she was alone.

Completely, devastatingly alone.

For the first time, the reality of the situation hit her like a punch delivered by a Machamp. Her mother -her only family- was gone forever. And she had no one to turn to, no one to go. There would be no one to hold her hand, no one to wipe away the tears that were now freely running down her cheeks as she fell upon her mother's too-cold body, a scream of anguish tearing out of her throat.

No one... _no one_...

 _Alone_ , she thought to herself as the sound of the rain starting to fall against the old wooden walls joined in with her cries. She was all alone, in a world that had no place for her anymore...

* * *

"Father."

Tamekage let out a small sigh, averting his eyes from the city reports he'd been slouching upon for the better part of the last hour, and turning to look at his son, that was standing by his study's doorway.

"Yes, Kenshin?" He quickly beheld the boy's clouded grey eyes -so much like his mother's- , his troubled expression, and realised he already knew what was the reason behind the boy being up so early in the morning.

"I..." Kenshin seemed to be struggling with his own words; as if he didn't know how to break some kind of news to him. "I was wondering if you could take me to the city?"

Tamekage felt his eyebrows arching upwards almost involuntarily, and he was fairly certain Kenshin would be aware of his surprised expression.

"The city?" That was a strange request. Considering the ongoing downpoor, he'd even dub it a foolish one. "What for? Is there something you absolutely need that cannot be found inside the castle?"

"I... I had a dream, Father."

The same dream as always, Tamekage realised. He was right to suspect it, after all.

"... The same girl again." It wasn't even a question at that point; Tamekage had grown accustomed to his son's most reccuring dream, had gotten used to Kenshin insisting there was some meaning behind it.

A young girl around his age, with dark brown hair and crystal blue eyes, stretching her hand out to him as if she was trying to reach him. And he'd always reach out towards her, and their fingers would come between a hair's breath, yet they'd never be able to actually touch each other -as if something was pulling them away. As if there was an invisible barrier standing between them, that they could not cross while in the world of dreams.

And Kenshin insisted there was a sense of familiarity emanating from the girl. As if they'd known each other already, despite they'd never actually met. Considering he'd been having this dream for years, Tamekage wasn't entirely shocked about his son insisting that he _knew_ her. Of course he would, after having this dream at least once a week.

It did trouble him, of course. Especially since, for the past few months, Kenshin had kept insisting he should go to the city and meet her.

 _'She does not exist, my dear son.'_

 _'Of course she does. I_ need _to find her. We need to find each other. That's what she's wishing for, too -even if she doesn't know it as much as I do.'_

By now, even Tamekage was convinced it could be no ordinary dream. Yet what could it be? Maybe it was Kenshin's innate need, as a member of Illusio's royal bloodline, to find someone to call his sibling -as far as Tamekage knew, there were no records of any of Illusio's previous Warlords not having any siblings. Kenshin must have been the first one, the first heir unfortunate enough to be alone. The absence of someone to form a mental bond with must have been so painful for his son, even if he wouldn't be able to know. His soul was essentially half; the part that would normally be there to complete it just _didn't exist._

So maybe that girl Kenshin kept dreaming of was what his sister -his soul's counterpart- would have looked like, should she have been born. But Tora was dead. His wife was dead and unable to grant him a sibling. The girl had to be a mirage, or a random townsperson the Guardians had chose for Kenshin to form a sibling-like bond with. How impossible would that be? There was no previous case of a sibling-less Warlord of Illusio being documented, so there was no one to assure him that the Guardians wouldn't just assign another warrior to fill in the gap.

As far-fetched as both these scenarios were, Tamekage couldn't think of any other reasonable explanation. And Kenshin's pleading eyes weren't helping him sort out his thoughts at all.

"Father, please." Kenshin said quietly. "Today... Today she... I know where she is, father. I can finally sense her existence. She must be able to sense mine, too. I just... I just know it!"

Tamekage let out another quiet, almost resigned sigh, and let his eyes linger out of the window. The sky bore a steel-grey colour, and the clouds did not look at all about to part and let the sun shine through. The storm could go on for the rest of the week, considering the time of the year. Of course, Lugia would be able to transport them safely to the city. They'd get more than just a little wet, but no greater harm would be done. And if Kenshin's mind could finally find peace...

"Alright." Tamekage pushed the reports away, secretly content to have an excuse to postpone the paperwork that had to be done, and stood up. "I will take you to the city, under one condition: if we do not find the girl today... then you must promise me you will forget about her. If we aren't able to find her today, then it must simply mean she does not exist. Are we in agreement?"

Kenshin paused for a few moments -shocked from him agreeing to take him to the city so easily, or worried for the deal that he proposed, Tamekage couldn't be sure. But eventually, the young boy looked his father directly in the eyes -and nodded, full of determination.

Being left with nothing else to do, Tamekage nodded back and closed his eyes, pulling at his wavelength with Lugia -the Guardian must have been soaring around the castle in the middle of the storm, like it very much enjoyed. But through their Link -the Link that the legend had chosen to form with a mere mortal like him-, it understood his request, and headed for the crystal roof, the only place besides the floating battlefield that was able to accomondate its landing.

"Well then, son," Tamekage said tiredly, gently taking Kenshin by the hand as they started towards the great crystal-and-marble staircase that spiraled through the middle of the castle all the way to the roof. "Let's see what fate has in store..."

* * *

The wind and the rain were harsher than a flurry of arrows would have been, Kenshin thought to himself as he huddled up against his father, his hair and shoulders already soaking-wet. Lugia let out a mournful, shrill cry and dove through the clouds, trying to catch the most advantageous air current it could find in order to achieve a smoother flight. As smooth as a flight could be, in the middle of such a storm. Kenshin suddenly felt thankful for the woolen coat his father had hastily tucked him into, before having joined Lugia on the roof.

"Where to, Kenshin?" Tamekage had to shout on top of his lungs to be clearly heard above the wailing of the wind and the rumbling of thunder in the distance. Kenshin didn't answer immediately, only closed his eyes, looking for the prescence he'd felt so strongly when he firstly opened his eyes in the morning.

A blue and white flame amidst a sea of twinkling stars; this would be the only way to describe what he'd seen when he closed his eyes. The small, shivering flame was the girl's aura; weak and miserable, but it was there. It would flicker in and out of his vision, but he could always feel it.

He finally knew where she was.

"There." He stretched out his hand, pointing towards the direction of the mountains, that were currently invisible thanks to the storm. "Towards the slums." His throat ached as he cried out as loudly as he could, but he knew Tamekage heard him. The lord said nothing, but suddenly Lugia took a sharp u-turn, catching the wind and practically bolting towards the appointed direction like a shooting star. Kenshin barely held back a cry of excitement, marvelling at the speed they were going...

Kenshin directed them further through what -to him- seemed like centuries, slowly ticking by. But then suddenly Lugia was landing and there was solid ground beneath it, and Kenshin jumped down from its back without giving it a second thought. Both the Guardian and Tamekage let out similar cries of protest, his father calling at him to wait. But Kenshin just shrugged off his coat, throwing it towards his father, and ran -ran with all he had, all he could give.

Finally. _Finally._

He could sense her crystal-clear now; her aura was almost screaming at his own. He could feel her heart beating, he could almost hear both of their heartbeats synchronising. She must have been feeling it too -she had to. And finally, oh thank the Guardians, finally he knew _why_ it was so.

 _Sister_.

She was his _sister._ Of course -of course she was, he should have guessed it, should have known already, with all these books he'd read surrounding the bond formed between siblings of the Illusian royal bloodline. The bond he'd feared he'd never come to feel. No, the bond he was _assured_ he'd never share with anyone, because for the first time in Illusio's existence the Warlord's heir had no sibling.

He was half a soul, half a mind, and there was no one to complete him. He'd always be alone, always looking for something that would never be there. He'd grown up knowing that he'd always be painfully, devastatingly alone.

But this was no longer the case.

 _His sister._

How had she even wound up in the slums of the city, of all places? How could his father not know?! How could _she_ not know?!

But he didn't care at all. As he ran through the muddy, narrow and uneven streets, he didn't care about anything else besides him finding her. He ran as fast as he could even as his breath started burning at the back of his throat, and even while he wondered if the water that was running warm down his cheeks was thanks to the rain or his own tears. _Finally._

He was not alone anymore -none of them would be.

* * *

Aya was crying. And she felt cold, so cold. And hungry. And tired.

But the cold and the hunger and the weariness in her body was nothing compared to the pain that was raging inside of her, eating up her insides like a famished Feraligatr. She'd gladly go through any hardship if that meant the pain would go away, if it meant her mother would come back...

But even she knew people never came back from the dead. The departed souls never returned.

She huddled up further behind the wooden crates, her back pressed against the rough stone structure that was the outer wall of something that was either a pleasure house or an abandoned store building. Whatever it was, its wall and the crates were currently her only protection against the raging storm -and they weren't doing much, anyway.

She'd sobbed above her mother's dead body for about half an hour -then her cries and her dellusional pleas for her to come back had attracted the neighbours. Or, precisely, the one neighbour that cared enough to wonder about the reason behind a child's screams -Kageyoshi, the young vendor that worked at the nearest market and would often watch over her when her mother was working. The young man had rushed into the house as fast as he could, and one look at her sobbing over the older woman's body had been enough for him to assess the situation.

To his credit, he'd tried his best to calm her down. He'd told her everything would be alright, that she shouldn't fear, that he was sorry for her loss, but that her mother was finally at peace and wouldn't suffer anymore. But Aya hadn't listened -hand't bothered to. Empty words, it was all empty words. There was nothing he or anyone else could do for her, other than leave her in her own misery.

So she had ran. When Kageyoshi had managed to pry her off of her mother's corpse, she'd pushed him away with strength she didn't even know she was capable of and ran, ran as fast as she could. To where, she did not know. And by now, she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to find her way back, especially since her vision had been obscured by tears ever since she'd bolted out of the door.

Not that there was anything to return to. That place couldn't be called her home anymore -there was nothing left for her back there but memories she did not feel like stirring yet. Essentially, she was homeless. And dying from the cold behind a few crates didn't seem all too bad, especially considering she would die anyway. A girl her age would have no way to survive in the slums -she'd have to resort to stealing to even eat. And she would rather die than commit such an act.

So she'd just curled up behind the crates, and waited. Waited for the blissful relief of death. Maybe the strange woman would come again, this time to take her own soul away. And as peculiar as that would sound, Aya almost wanted her to come back. Almost wanted to be taken away by someone familiar; she'd welcome the woman, if she came right now.

But it seemed that dying would take longer than expected -and up until then, freezing under the rain and wind was not pleasant at all. She wished she could at least fall asleep, but her shivering was so bad she doubted she could relax enough for it to happen...

She couldn't have been sure about what happened the next few seconds. Even through the years were followed, the memory was hazy -yet, somehow, crystal-clear at the same time.

One moment her head was drooping against the stone and she had allowed her eyes to close almost completely. And the next, she felt something -she wasn't sure what it was, or if it was just plain instict, but something had momentarily stirred inside of her, beckoning her to open her eyes, to look up, and-

Her breath caught at her throat, and a weak yelp escaped her mouth.

 _Guardians above_.

Impossible. She must have been dying already, and this was all but a hallucination, because... because he couldn't truly be there. He couldn't... He shouldn't be _real._

The boy that had visited her so many times during her dreams. The boy she'd reached out to, that had reached out to her, never being able to touch each other's hand. The boy she was convinced was but a strange coincidence, a game played by her mind. But the pain, the understanding in her mother's eyes when she'd told her about it...

It couldn't have been him. It was impossible -they didn't _know_ each other, even if she'd felt like she'd known him her whole life. As if... as if he was part of her, and she was part of him.

"You're..."

"You're...!"

They'd spoken together, at the exact same instant, although he sounded much less surprised than she did. Almost as if he'd known where to find her.

 _Impossible._

Yet as inconcievable and nonsensical as it sounded, he was there, standing right in front of her. Snow-white hair -albeit dripping wet- and stormy grey eyes. Her heart ached, and somehow, she was sure he felt the same. Something inside of her recognised him, and it felt almost as if fate had finally brought them together...

Aya blinked, realising he was stretching out his hand towards her. Waiting, his eyes almost pleading for her to take it.

And just like they'd done countless times inside their dreams, Aya lifted up her own hand, hesitantly reaching out, afraid that it was all an illusion of her sorrow, that he would be gone again as soon as she tried to touch him...

But against all her fears, this time there was nothing preventing their hands from touching...

* * *

At first, it felt like an electric shock -and then... then it was the most fulfilling sensation Kenshin had ever felt in his life.

Now, he could fully realise the sorrow in his father's eyes. He could fully realise why he'd been so devestated over his son having no siblings. Because this... this felt exactly what Tamekage had described to him when talking about the bond forged by birth between Illusian royal siblings.

He'd truly been one half of what should have been whole, Kenshin realised. Because as soon as his fingers touched hers, something literally _exploded_ inside of him. Suddenly, he was inside her mind, and she was inside his, and her auras were one, their hearts synchronising to the same rhythm, and he felt everything that she did, saw the world from behind her own eyes.

The next second he'd fallen down to the ground next to her, and they had embraced each other so tightly that despite the freezing rain, they both felt warm. And somehow, Kenshin was certain they'd never feel cold again.

She was crying. And he was crying too, both of them shaking with sobs and tears of absolute happiness from having finally found each other, and from the pain of having been kept apart for such a long, long time.

 _"Sister..."_

 _"Brother..."_

Somehow, hearing these words, listening to them being exchanged, caused them both to cry even more. But Kenshin felt happy, so happy. He was not alone anymore. And she wasn't, either.

Two siblings, having found each other at last. It seemed Illusio _was_ the Kingdom of Miracles after all.

"I... I..."

Kenshin wiped his eyes, and was finally able to look at her -with a slight amount of shock, he realised that, despite her dark hair, her eyes were identical to that of his - _their_ \- father.

"I know." He cut her off quietly. "I... I felt everything. Your pain. Your loneliness. But... But it's not like that anymore! We're not alone!" He sobbed, while a smile blossomed on his face. " _You're_ not alone anymore, Aya!"

She hugged him again as soon as she heard him calling her by her name, letting out a sound that was a mixture of a sob and a laughter. And Kenshin hugged her back, unwilling to let go -afraid that if they'd let each other go, they'd be torn apart again.

But he knew what he'd said was true.

They were not alone anymore. They would never again be.

Somehow, both of them _knew_ it.

* * *

 **So you see, this was angst with a good ending! Even though I wanted to add the part of Tamekage meeting his daughter (I should explain how Aya ended up being born after all). But it's two AM and this was getting too long, so it will have to wait.**

 **Anyway. I think the scene of them meeting and their auras merging/their mental bond activating was my favorite one to write. The whole 'Kenshin and Aya finally meeting for the first time and realising they are siblings and that they aren't alone' thing is one of my favorites, but still. I just... love their dynamic. And I did play around with the fact that Illusian royal siblings are essentially the same soul on two different bodies in relation to Latios and Latias' story -though the Latis weren't mentioned here. But anyway!**

 **Next one's gonna be cuteness and happiness with no angst, I promise.**

 **'till next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**My middle name should be "has to write the next chapter of her main story but writes random one-shots instead".**

 **Anyway, it's almost 1 AM and I'm dying so this is... not as good as I'd hoped it would be XD I broke it up into two parts as well, because I really need sleep. I'll write the rest tomorrow, and it will probably be a lot longer as well. School starts on Monday for me too, but hopefully I'll still be able to write the next WoTH chapter until next Saturday.**

 **Anyway, for now enjoy this I guess!~**

* * *

 **Ransei's Worst Babysitters -Part 1:**

"So, let me get this straight; we just have to watch over the kids for the day, until you get back from the conference in Yaksha, right?"

"You don't _just_ have to 'watch over them'." Ujiyasu crossed his arms against his broad chest, his cape rustling in the movement. "You have to take care of them. Make sure they eat all of their lunch. Make sure they don't cause any trouble. And above all, make sure _they_ don't get in any trouble either."

Kenshin, Aya and Shingen, standing in line across from the stern-faced Cragspur Warlord, exchanged cleverly camouflaged glances.

"Hmm..." Aya was the first to recover her ability to speak, and cleared her throat as she looked back towards the man in front of her who, for the record, still looked quite displeased with the path he'd chosen to take. "Sure, we can do that. Right, guys?"

Kenshin, catching on the implication of having to reassure Ujiyasu first, gave a slight yet firm nod, onto which Shingen added with a rushed "of course".

Ujiyasu looked nothing even close to reassured, but the message regarding Lord Kotaro's desire of a personal conference in Yaksha's castle had reached him early in the morning, and he was expected by the Dark-type Warlord to appear during early afternoon. There hadn't beenmuch time which he could have spent looking for a better alternative -he'd have to trust the Illusians and the Terreran to watch over Hayakawa and Kai when he'd be away.

Though to be completely honest with himself, he might as well have left the kids all on their own. Wouldn't make too big a difference, he supposed -and the constant glances of cluelessness that were being exchanged between the three Warlords were doing nothing sort of rekindling his worry. He let out a displeased sigh.

"Has any of you three ever done this before?"

"I've pretty much raised the Sanada brats and Kunoichi", Shingen reminded him, though to his dismay -yet not to his surprise- Aya and Kenshin just shrugged in a guilty manner. Ujiyasu reached up, rubbing the bridge of his nose in an attempt to fight off the headache that already pounded behind his brow.

"Alright. At least _one_ of you knows how to do this...". He supposed it wasn't that bad. Hayakawa was a cooperative child, and even if Kai was a definite whirlwind of trouble, three grown-ups would be able to keep her from destroying half the castle, right? Besides, the kids were already acquainted with the Warlords. They'd met plenty of times.

Trying to stop his train of thoughts at that moderately reassuring point, he turned towards the door that sealed the door to the room. He was absolutely sure both girls had been eavesdropping the whole time, but he still went through the procedure of calling out their names.

"Hey, kids! Would you come here for a moment?"

There were a few seconds of suspicious silence, but then the door pretty much burst open and the two young girls stumbled inside upon each other. Hayakawa glanced apologetically up at their father, but Kai didn't seem to mind the fact that their mischief had just been given away. She got up from the floor, wearing an excited grin -a similar one soon blossoming across her older sister's face as well.

"Uncle Kenshin!" Kai jumped right onto the white-clad man's arms, while Hayakawa let Aya pat the top of her head. Ujiyasu held back a small smirk -well, maybe this wasn't going to go nearly as bad as he'd feared.

"Hey, you two," he crossed his arms in front of his chest again, "listen here. Papa needs to drop by Lord Kotaro's place for the day. Y'know, Warlord business. Uncle Shingen, Aunt Aya and Uncle Kenshin will watch over you until tomorrow morning. Pretty sure I'll be back by then."

"Awesome!" Kai threw her fist up in the air, then quickly looked up towards Kenshin, who had managed to keep a stern face through the conversation. "Will you teach me how to use the sword this time, Uncle Kenshin-"

"Absolutely _not_." Ujiyasu cut her off while throwing a warning glance towards Kenshin at the same time. "No swordsplay. No mischief. I need you two to try to not engane into any potentially dangerous activities while I'm away. Can you please just try to not get yourselves or anyone else cut in half?!"

Kai let out a disappointed sigh, pouting, yet she nodded quickly. "Fine, fine. No sword lessons today."

Ujiyasu didn't feel convinced at all, but he supposed Kenshin would be able to handle this. If anything, he probably trusted him more than he trusted Shingen or Aya on that matter. Not that he doubted the skills of his friends' -it was just that their impulse control probably wasn't that great when they were being influenced by each other.

"Alright. I suppose I shouldn't worry, should I? You two will be okay. Remember; no troublemaking, and bedtime shouldn't be later than half past ten." He looked up at the other Warlords, growling as he caught all three of them rolling their eyes. "And you brutes; If I come back to find this place in ruins and my kids holding a tea party on top of the wreckage, you can be damn sure I'll have you clean it up all by yourselves."

"Relax old friend!" Aya flashed him a smile that many would have called charming, yet the only words that went through Ujiyasu's head at the moment was 'worryingly laid-back'. "You go and be done with your business! We promise to take great care of the kids!"

Ujiyasu let out another growl, ready to offer a retort; yet at the moment, a hasty-looking warrior appeared on the doorstep, curiously glancing between the three other Warlords and her own Lord.

"...Lord Ujiyasu." she bowed quickly, eventually unable to acknowledge the prescence of the others. "I beg you pardon my interference, but the blimp's all set and done. We should leave right now if we're to reach Yaksha before the appointed time."

Ujiyasu nodded in response, and bent down to pat the heads of his daughters.

"See ya two troublemakers tomorrow, 'kay?" He grinned, ruffling their hair in the process. "Just as I said, try not to tear this place down to the ground."

He got up, turning towards the door, where the warrior still waited. He spared one final last towards the kids, who waved him goodbye. Then, he walked out and towards the flight of stairs that climbed through all of the rocks right to the top of the outcrop into the insides of which the castle was build. The blimp would wait for him there.

Right. Everything was going to be fine. The other three were grownups. They'd take great care of the kids. He'd come back the following day to find everything perfectly in order, right?

 _Right?_

* * *

"Hey hey, Uncle Shingen! How did you get that scar?"

Shingen let out a sigh -not even a couple of hours into the job, yet Kai had already gotten him to remove his mask, and was now eagerly staring at the scar that run across his left cheek all the way down to his neck, disappearing between the collar of his tunic.

"Well, why don't you ask _them?_ " he replied with a shrug, while gesturing towards the Illusians. Kenshin was currently cleaning the mess that had miraculously spread across the floor when the kids had decided they wanted to snack on mochi, and only let out a disinterested grunt in response, not even sparing a glance towards the Terreran. Aya, however, who was sitting with Hayakawa on her lap, braiding flowers into the young girl's hair, let out a short chuckle.

"I think you're over-exaggerating things, my friend." She replied. "It was merely an accident."

"You almost gouged my eye out!"

"I don't think the girls need to hear that much of a detail-"

"I once saw one of Papa's warriors who had his eye all gouged out!" Kai joined in, quickly ruining all of Aya's attempts to avoid the subject. "He wore an eyepatch of course, but I once saw him without it! It _definitely_ looked nothing like your scar, Uncle Shingen." She added thoughtfully.

"See?" Aya grasped on the chance. "You're just making it all too big!"

"You _know_ you're lying, Aya-"

"Alright, alright, who wants more mochi?" Kenshin shoved the broom aside, almost knocking over a decorative piece of rock that had been carved to resemble a Graveller. "I'm sure there's more left on the kitchen, though I'd really appreciate it if you didn't spread it all over the floor this time." As he spoke, he scowled towards his sister and the Terreran, effectively silencing them both.

Unfortunately for Kenshin, Kai wasn't too keen on more pastries for now.

"I want to go outside!" She jumped up -almost tripping over Shingen's discarded mask in the process. "Hayakawa, come with me! Let's play!"

Hayakawa nodded, waiting only until Aya tied her hair with a blue-and-white silken ribbon, then sprang up besides her sister. Belatedly, she threw an apologetic look towards the Warlords.

"Can we, Aunt Aya?" She asked softly, looking back and forth towards Kai and the Illusian in question. Aya smiled in encouragment.

"Of course." She said, ignoring Kenshin's frantic attempts at trying to prevent the children from enacting their newest idea. "Only as long as you promise to be careful, though."

"Promise!" The two girls echoed in unison, and then Kai grabbed Hayakawa by the wrist, dragging her towards the corridor that would lead to the balcony garden of this level of the castle. As soon as the kids were gone, both Kenshin and Shingen shot glares of accusation towards Aya.

"What?" She lifted her hands up defensively. "I'd thought we'd need some peace and quiet if we're to clean up the rest of this." She nodded towards the other half of the room, that was still littered with the remains of the girls' messy snack.

"And out of everything that you could suggest, you just had to play along and let them go outside! Where they could fall-"

"Kenshin." Shingen raised an eyebrow as he was readjusting his mask. "While I don't like the fact that Aya let the girls out of our vicinity either, don't you think they'd know how to move around the caslte by now? They _live_ here. I'm sure they'd been in the garden before."

Kenshin let out a huff. "At least one of us should go with them. Preferably you, Shingen, or else I estimate we'll all be by each other's throats by the time we realise something's wrong with the kids."

Shingen let out a sight, getting up on his feet. "Aright, alright. I suppose I'll let you two do the rest of the cleaning, then." He said, striding towards the door. Kenshin slumped on the floor, after passing the previously-abandoned broom to his sister.

"Next time, remind me to bring some bigger plates for the girls' mochi."

* * *

Aya was still cleaning the last of the mess and Kenshin was still sitting tiredly on the floor with his back against the wall, when Shingen walked through the door in a pace much slower and much less confident than the one he'd left with -and without anyone accompanying him.

One look at his terrified expression, still readable behind his crimson mask, was enough for Kenshin to spring on his feet and Aya to practically fling the broom on the floor.

"They're not in the garden."

Kenshin winced as his sister uttered a word that caused him to be at least partially relieved the kids weren't around, but immediately stalked out of the door towards the corridor, while being followed by the other two.

"Ujiyasu's going to murder us."

"If anything's happened to them, _I'll_ murder myself first before Ujiyasu even gets wind of it."

"You should have thought of that before leaving them to wander off-"

"Now it's not the time to argue!" Shingen snapped, falling in line between the Illusians. "Aya messed everything up alright, but we can scream the living shit out of her _after_ we make sure the kids are not smashed up against the cliff!"

Aya let out a huff of protest against the accusation she'd possibly never hear the end of, but before she could defend herself Shingen, having again proceeded to walk further away from them in search of the girls, let out a startled cry. Less than a moment later, he was on the floor, struggling to get up. Almost immediately, Kai jumped up from behind one of the boulders that were jutting out of the castle's very floor, fist-bumping the air.

"Gotcha!" She cheered proudly. "I got Uncle Shingen!"

Hayakawa peeked in from the end of the corridor, a small grin lighting up her face.

"You go, Kai!" She cheered for her younger sister. However, a second later, both smiles vanished from their faces as Shingen got back on his feet.

"Run." Muttered Kai, and the two immediately turned their backs towards the Warlords, sprinting away as fast as they could. And after witnessing Shingen's expression when he got up, Aya and Kenshin both supposed running had been the wisest thing to do.

"Just so we're all clear," the masked Warlord hissed, "I'm still blaming you for this, Aya. But Ujiyasu's going to be paying for it just as much."

"They're a couple of kids." Kenshin muttered in amusement, examining the rope that was tied around two boulders, one on each side of the corridor, over which Shingen had tripped. "Clever ones, too."

"Clever or not, we promised Ujiyasu to not let them destroy the place, or get hurt." Aya passed over the rope, careful not to follow Shingen's fate. "By the looks of it, we're steadily failing." She let out a dissapointed sight and let her thoughts resonate through her and her brother's mental connection.

 _'Were we really that annoying when we were their age?'_

 _'I'd assume we were even worse.'_

 _'Talk about a handful. I wonder how Father bore with us'._

Not wanting to live Shingen out of it, Kenshin let out a grunt.

"Regardless. Any ideas on how we're going to get them?"

"We'll split up and search the castle." Aya saw Shingen opening his mouth and being ready to protest, but she silenced him with a wave of her hand. "What other options are there? Wait for them to come to us? We'll probably spend the rest of the day waiting, not to mention that each passing moment we're risking at least one of them -most probably Kai- getting too deep into trouble."

Neither of the other Warlords had anything in store to counter her arguments, and so it was decided; Aya would go left, Kenshin would go right, and Shingen would wait by the stairs in case any of the girls decided to make a run for the lower or higher levels of the castle.

"They're just two kids." Aya mused. "How hard can that get?"

'Judging by how things are already going, verily', Kenshin mentally replied. And not-quite-that-surprisingly, he was soon going to be proven right.

* * *

 **I guess the title makes sense now, doesn't it? Anyway, this will probably end up being the most cliche thing I've ever written, but I think I needed the break over the emotional explosion that was the last one-shot and over the angsty mess that is going to be WoTH's upcoming chapters (and all of it in general, but you didn't hear that from me!).**

 **I'll do my best to post the second part tomorrow! For now, just enjoy some of Ransei's strongest veterans being outsmarted by Ujiyasu's daughters.**

 **'till next time!~**


End file.
